Power Leveling (1)
A little while ago.
I took Dania outside the lair for the first time.
『Ahh... Great... existence... sir...』
『To the great... existence's... descendant... our respects...』
『Praise and... glory...』
『It's an... honor... to meet you... like this...』
The Elatria went wild at Dania's appearance.
Aaahhh!
The Elatria's excitement and the pulse of life spread throughout all of Elatrium.
Their massive branches swayed like arms, sweeping across the sky, while their leaves rustled endlessly like waves carried on the wind.
Some of the Elatria lifted their fine roots from the ground, approaching Dania with rhythmic movements.
It was as if they were blessing her arrival.
『Tree spirits! Hiya!!』
Dania flapped her wings and shot up into the air.
Five-colored mana gathers at the two horns on Dania's forehead, then bursts into the air.
Paaahhh!
Like cherry blossoms scattering in the wind, five-colored mana swirled through the sky.
It was the moment Dania imprinted the spectrum of her mana vividly upon them.
『Ahh...!』
『The great... existence's... mana...!』
『Indeed...!』
Were the Elatria so sensitive to mana?
They responded to Dania's display once more, swinging their massive branches like arms.
『Hehe-』
Dania let out a bright, innocent laugh.
She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her communion with the Elatria through mana.
I should've brought her out sooner.
This was the first time I'd seen Dania this delighted.
Come to think of it, this was our Dania's first time seeing the outside world since she hatched.
It made my heart ache a little.
I should make time to come out and play with her more often.
The thought flitted through my mind.
“Awoooo!”
“Woooo!”
“Awoooo!”
Black shadows appeared like beams of light from the distance.
The shadow wolves charged forward, led by Khan at the front.
Upon facing Dania for the first time, they let out long howls before flattening themselves to the ground.
The gesture signified unconditional submission to her.
『Fenril family! Hiya-』
Dania approached Khan, who was prostrated at the forefront, and gently rubbed her face against the side of his head.
“Awoo!”
Khan wagged his tail, emitting a pleased howl.
He seemed to regard Dania's gesture as a great honor bestowed upon him.
“Awoo!”
As Dania finished greeting Khan, Fenril beside me excitedly dashed toward him.
“Wooo!”
“Awoo!”
“Awoooo!”
Fenril's family warmly surrounded him, greeting him joyfully.
Lick, lick!
They all licked Fenril's face in a heartfelt welcome.
Fenril wore a >_< expression, purring with joy. In this moment, he looked utterly happy.
Fenril's still at that age where his parents' embrace feels like the best place. It'd be nice if he could freely come and go from the lair too.
Would Fenril ever gain the ability to cross in and out of the lair at will?
Fenril had diligently leveled up in the meantime, reaching Lv 115 before I knew it.
It was around the time when other guardians might awaken special powers or unique abilities, but there was no sign of that yet.
Hmm.
His growth wasn't delayed or anything.
Next time I had a moment, I should take some time to contemplate Fenril's potential abilities.
“Uh, uhh! Mr. Seojun! Ah, even the great one...!”
I turned at the voice from the side.
Lucien, the diminutive fairy of the Lili tribe, had spotted me and Dania, his mouth agape.
“Oh! It's Lucien. I was just about to look for you—perfect timing.”
“Ahh! I've come at just the right moment...! It's an honor!”
Over time, I'd grown quite close to Lucien.
Seeing him stirred a warm, familiar fondness in me.
I explained to him why I'd brought Dania out of the lair.
“Ahh! So this is the great one's first time outside the lair...!”
“Yeah. We're going to tour Elatrium, so in the meantime, prepare some elixirs and spirit herbs we can eat.”
“Yes, sir! Leave it to me. I'll prepare everything without a hitch! I'll inform Her Majesty right away too!”
“Thanks.”
At my words, Lucien swiftly flew off toward where the Lili tribe gathered.
“Dania, let's tour the inside of Elatrium.”
『Ung. Yay!』
Dania, beaming with excitement, flew up and gently perched on my head.
Her tail swished, tickling me lightly.
She must be really thrilled—I couldn't help but smile.
I wandered through Elatrium with Dania.
The Elatria moved their branches and roots as if welcoming us, creating an even more spectacular environment.
Thanks to them, I enjoyed the time even more.
“Mr. Seojun! Everything's ready!”
Just as we'd nearly finished touring Elatrium.
The preparations I'd asked Lucien for were complete.
Before us lay elixirs and spirit herbs.
These were the ones the Lili tribe had successfully cultivated this time.
『Han-bing-gwa and muglæ!』
Dania was still hunting for Han-bing-gwa even out here.
I chuckled and handed her one.
『Uung, so yummy!』
Dania munched on the Han-bing-gwa, her face lit with constant happy smiles.
“The great one seems to love Han-bing-gwa a lot.”
Queen Erillia of the Lili tribe, watching from beside me, spoke with a faint smile.
“Tell me about it. She's always trying to eat nothing but that—it's a real headache.”
I let out a light, mock complaint.
“Everything the great one does always has its reasons.”
Erillia replied with some cryptic, Zen-like words.
The moment I tried to ask what she meant more precisely!
Huh?
A message came from Section Chief Lee Jeong-won.
And that message was...
Perfect.
The pre-payment of 2 billion coins had been approved.
Much faster than I'd expected.
In that case...
I should buy the Crystal of Pure Mind and Crystal of Clarity right away and ask Bellerin to craft equipment with them.
No hesitation needed.
I immediately purchased the two crystals and handed them to Bellerin.
“Leave it to me!”
Bellerin's eyes sparkled as she took the crystals.
She trotted off eagerly, clearly thrilled at the thought of crafting new gear.
And soon after.
“It's done!”
The staff she brought.
A long staff suffused with a blue glow.
Oh.
As I gripped it, it fit perfectly in my hand.
And my mind sharpened instantly.
I immediately checked the staff's options.
Whoa.
My eyes widened huge right after confirming them.
***
Not far from the Dragon's Lair where Seojun resided.
Tens of thousands of troops had gathered in one place.
“The meeting begins.”
Legion commanders' conference.
Karmarks scanned the room and spoke in a low, gravelly voice.
“One item on the agenda.”
The legion's advance had halted due to Azkai's raid.
With the massive conquest army stalled in one spot for so long, various problems began to arise.
The most serious was food shortages.
The longer the delay, the more food was consumed, leading to plummeting morale and weakened combat power.
The food issue didn't just weaken the army's strength—it sparked other grave problems.
These were not a single species, but a legion of many.
In nature, they were predators and prey devouring each other.
Now, with food shortages hitting and them cooped up together all day...
Their instinctual DNA stirred.
Ants attacked crickets.
Dragonflies pounced on mosquitoes.
Scorpions clashed with Hercules beetles.
In this situation, it was only natural for the commanders to convene.
“We'll gather opinions on our future direction.”
At Karmarks's words, the legion commanders' eyes gleamed sharply.
“First option: Maintain control of the troops as much as possible and wait for Lord Vermith until we locate the Dragon's Lair.”
“Second option: Advance immediately to the presumed location of the Dragon's Lair.”
No sooner had Karmarks finished than one legion commander spoke up.
“Shall we vote by show of hands?”
12th Legion Commander.
King of Scorpions, Scorpiaque.
“Yes. Those in favor of the first option, raise your hands first.”
Voting proceeded under Karmarks's direction. The result was clear.
“......Excluding three, all favor the second option. Good. We advance.”
The legion chose to press forward again.
“Kuhaha! Azkai may be fearsome, but he's not whole, is he? We have Titanos too—what's there to fear?”
“Well said. Azkai can't even attack from range, can he? Unless he charges ahead like Vestiger and sticks his neck out, no reason to fear.”
The other commanders laughed and agreed.
“But, separate from the advance, we need scout teams.”
At that, a figure grinned and spoke.
“Leave that to our clan.”
All eyes turned to him.
11th Legion Commander, King of Cockroaches, Legionix.
The cockroach clan was famed for their agility.
Few races matched them in scouting, evasion, and detection.
“Yes, Legionix. Entrust scouting to the cockroach clan.”
The loyalists.
Their morale soared to the heavens.
Thud!!!
The halted army of tens of thousands began marching once more.
***
『Keron. Northeast, 214m, beside the rock. Two entities detected.』
The moment Archeron spoke.
Twang.
Wispent drew back her bowstring.
Thwip!
A spirit arrow flew silently.
It passed through terrain like a ghost, then split into two forks before the targets.
Splat!
Krzzzzzt!!
That was it.
The beings pierced by the spirit arrows were instantly paralyzed throughout their bodies.
“Let's go.”
We moved straight to them.
“Ugh, these things... I just can't get used to 'em no matter what.”
The beings detected by Archeron and hunted by Wispent.
They were giant cockroaches over a meter tall.
I felt an instinctive revulsion at their appearance and aimed my staff.
"Whirl, thunder."
⟨ Spear of the Thunder God ⟩
Bzzzzt!
Thunder gathered at the staff's tip.
Krzzzzzt!
The 9th-circle spell, Spear of the Thunder God.
A violet spear manifested through Dragon Words shot straight at the giant cockroaches.
Kaboom!!
A massive surge of high-voltage electricity lit up the surroundings blindingly!
If Lulumiel hadn't pre-cast her Illusion Mist around us, it would've broadcast our location far and wide.
“Kii... riit...”
“Kii... rit...”
The giant cockroaches struck by the spear let out short groans, their body hairs trembling violently.
Magic via Dragon Words boasted immense power, dealing solid damage even to Lv 200 monsters.
Dragon Words are the way to go.
I smirked faintly.
As if on cue, Azkai swung his hand.
Krzzzzzt!
The creatures disintegrated in an instant.
My level rose not long after starting the hunt.
Lv 200. It's actually within reach.
The insect army visible in the distance.
If I swept them all away, it didn't seem impossible.
My heart pounded with excitement and anticipation.
Mana's no issue either.
Bellerin's gear was beyond words—it was phenomenal.
The mental strain after using Dragon Words had improved dramatically.
Check.
I examined the staff's specs once more.
SSS Grade
Type: Staff
Equip Req: Lv 110+
◈ Mental Power Amp: +50%
◈ Mental Power Cost Reduction: -30%
◈ Mental Power Recovery Speed: +30%
◈ Casting Speed: +25%
◈ Special: Resonance of the Mind — On mental skill use, chance to resonate with ambient mental flow, instantly recover 15% mental power. For 7s after: +10% cost reduction, +15% recovery speed.
A staff laser-focused on mental power recovery and reduction.
Exactly what I needed right now.
As expected of Bellerin.
I whistled inwardly and gazed at the distant insect horde.
In my eyes, with the Staff of Lucid Mind in hand, they now looked like massive EXP chunks.
“Let's go.”
At my word, everyone moved in perfect unison.
Now.
It was time for power leveling.